"Apparently my creativity lies in my navigation skills."—Me, on a recent overnight tour

I'm a fred, a biking amateur in the most pejorative sense: i have both excessive and inadequate gear for my level of dedication and too much knowledge for so little wisdom on the ins-and-outs of bike maintenance. I seem "hard core" to the majority, who haven't made the cognitive leap that biking somewhere is like driving there, but more fun and perhaps slower. On the other hand, to "real" bikers, i'm un poseur, a hack: i'm a fred.

People find even this level of cycling eccentric, of course. I'm offered (and decline) a ride home so often from these places i bike that i begin to wonder, myself, the reasons why i do it. Well, here they are:

• because it's stimulating
• because it's inexpensive
• because it's invigorating
• because it's different
• because it's independence
• because it's freedom
• because it's efficient
• because it's adventurous
• because it's exercise
• because it employs elegant machinery
• because i can

The last point, in particular, is valuable. The ability to say "I'm going to bike to the next state."—and then do so—is inestimable.

Other suggestions:

because it's doesn't pollute
because it's a unique way to explore
because it isn't ten feet long, five feet wide and have a roof

But of all of them I like "because I can" the best.

Because I'm not old enough to drive
Because they took away my drivers license
Because I work for minimum wages in a car wash and speak mostly Spanish

All of the above, including those listed in the other posts, as well as "because I feel like it" are good reasons to bike; so what?

at first to lose weight, but that got to be more like a "have to" than a "want to" so I shifted my mind set to "just roll wherever". I ride now more than ever, I keep a single speed rockhopper at work just for lunch rides everyday. It's my brain bandaid

Here's what other people seem to think though:

Because I got a DUI.
Because I'm poor.
Because I'm homeless.
Because I'm a mental patient.
Because I'm casing houses.

Because it's fun and relaxing

More good reasons.

A more challenging question might be: What are bad/unacceptable reasons for cycling?

Cyclists go longer. FTW